Sunday was our first day of sailing, visiting various dive locations. First, Buck Island, then Cow and Calf Rock, and then on to Leinster Bay, St. John, where we moored for the night. Monday we had the joy of clearing customs in Tortola (not Tortuga, for you Pirates of the Caribbean fans) and enjoyed an interesting dinner on the Willy T. If you ever do get the chance to go on this type of adventure, definitely make a stop here for some good food and an even better time. I do recommend, however, leave the kiddies at home if you plan on making a stop at the bar; it can get a little... wild! Pretty much everywhere you go requires use of the dinghy, so please, follow the same rules as driving a car and have a "responsible" operator! Otherwise, you and all of your passengers, along with dinghy, could make sudden landfall, when landfall is not meant to take place.

If you happen to have dive certification (or traveling with a certified tour guide) or you enjoy snorkeling, make a stop at Wreck of the Rhone at Salt Island. I missed out on this and I might regret it just a little bit now...

RMS Rhone was one of the first iron hulled ships and could be powered by sail or steam. Due to an outbreak of yellow fever on the island of St. Thomas, the Rhone and RMS Conway had been rerouted to Peter Island for refueling purposes. At this time, hurricane season was thought to be over and while weather conditions worsened, captains of both ships decided to stay in Great Harbour. As one of the first ships to be deemed "unsinkable," (we see where this is going) Conway's captain decided to move all of his passengers to the Rhone. The Conway would then head toward Road Harbour while the Rhone headed for open sea as the eye of the storm was above them. Captain Robert F. Wooley decided to take the easiest route to sea, between Black Rock Pointe and Dead Chest Island. Just as the Rhone was about to emerge into safety, another part of the storm came in, shifting the winds and throwing the ship directly into Black Rock Pointe.

In that day and age, ship crew kept passengers "safe" from the violent seas by tying them to their beds.
All passengers on RMS Rhone perished with the ship. Only 23 crew members survived the wreck. The ship was split in two as she sank.

A site worth checking out if you are able. It's stunning.

Great Harbour is where we ended up Friday night to enjoy some entertainment at Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke. This seemed to be the busiest stop along our trip. An open, outdoor bar with live music and plenty of friendly locals that would love for you to have a dance with them, unless, of course, they're too busy showing you their amazing bottle dancing/picking up tables and chairs routine. Can't really explain that one, but he thought he had it goin' on. I guess I would, too, if people kept applauding me for my "talent."

Loblolly Bay on Anegada is absolutely beautiful and the Anegada Reef Hotel offers a wonderful meal. Everyone thinks I'm crazy, but I can't eat seafood, however, if you happen to be a lobster lover, Captain Turner said he thoroughly enjoys it. They catch the lobster and you can actually see them sitting right inside the bay in a little cage. They are held there until a customer orders one of them, and then they are prepared right there on the beach.

In all honesty, not holding anything back, I was sad to come home. While I may have missed Cleveland a teeny, tiny bit, who wouldn't want to be sailing the open ocean and visiting various islands... in the Caribbean?!

Our charter expense actually wasn't that bad, but we didn't go during peak season, and we had our own "crew." Shop around. Figure out what island you think you may want to leave from and start browsing. You never know what kind of deals you might find.

It was definitely a dream vacation and hopefully a dream-come-true for you soon, as well!

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